Shoe, especially shoe for small children

ABSTRACT

An improved shoe, promoting a heel-to-toe motion of a foot, comprising an outsole and an upper part. The outsole has a contraction extending to a first area where a back of the foot is located. The upper part has a heel guide, including one of a heelplate and a flexible heel brace, which are arranged in a second area where the heel of the foot is located, such that an Achilles tendon of the foot is free.

This application is a 371 of PCT/EP00/00940 filed Feb. 7, 2000.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a shoe for promoting a heel-to-toemotion of a foot.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Already in German Patent C 10 70 962, it was established that therotational mobility of the heel part of the sole with respect to theforward part of the sole, in the sense of a wringing, is essential foran undisturbed sequence of development of the foot. In addition, in thatpublication it is described as known that the insole and/or the outsoleof the footwear are provided in the area of the articulated point withcutouts that proceed from the edges of the sole and that may be filledby inserts, which may be made of a more pliant material than that of thein- or outsole. In the area of the articulated point the width of thesole, which is furnished with the inserts, corresponds roughly to thedimensions that are established by the vertical projection of the foot,so that the foot is protected by the base of the shoe. The overall depthof these cutouts may be smaller than the overall width of the sole inthe area of the articulation, the cutouts being wider in the area of theedge of the sole than in the area of the interior of the sole. In placeof a single cutout, it may be also possible to assign to each edge ofthe sole a plurality of cutouts running roughly transverse to thelongitudinal direction of the sole, whose edges, bordering a cutout,essentially run parallel to each other and whose width corresponds atleast to the thickness of the sole.

On the upper side of the sole a molded footbed support may be arranged,which may be bonded in one piece to the material of the inserts thatfill out the cutouts. The cutouts here may be situated mainly on theouter edge of the foot, so that the sole of the forward area of the footis connected via a roughly centered crosspiece to the outsole of therear area of the foot.

From German Patent U 87 14 923, it is known to use anatomically shapedshoe soles, which are anatomically formed in a natural way in accordancewith the imprint of a healthy foot and which can be used for all shoes.It can be seen from the drawing that the sole in the area of thetransition between the heel and the forefoot may not be shaped inaccordance with the outline of the foot, but rather in accordance withits contact surface. Therefore, in this area,

-   -   there may be a reduction in the width. The problem of rotational        mobility is not described.

From German Patent C 43 16 237, it is also known that a reinforcingelement may be provided made of a fibrous material, which may beconfigured as a supporting plate and which also traces the foot contactsurface in the area of the outer edge of the foot.

Despite the measures proposed here, it is believed that there remains aneed for improvement in promoting unhindered physiological movement ofthe foot in all motions:

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theoutsole in the area of the contraction has a connecting piece having adegree of flexibility such that a torsion of the front of the foot withregard to the back of the foot is impeded as little as possible, andhigh flexibility in the area of the front of the foot is provided to theoutsole regarding the motion of the foot, as a result of an appropriateprofiling.

It is believed that a combination of an increased rotational mobility inthe heel part of the sole with respect to the forward part of the sole,together with a zone of high flexibility in the ball of the foot area ofthe front of the foot, promotes the physiological heel to toe of thefoot in all motions. In contrast to the related art, in which theflexibility is determined by the material selected and by the thicknessof the sole, the flexibility of the sole according to an aspect of theabove exemplary embodiment of the present invention is primarilyachieved through the geometric configuration of the sole.

According to a further aspect of the above exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, the contraction is be configured such that the areaof the outsole in the front of the foot is connected via a crosspiece tothe area of the outsole in the back of the foot. As a result, asingle-piece injection-molding of the sole is possible.

It is believed that the above exemplary embodiment of the shoe accordingto the present invention is particularly suitable as a shoe for smallchildren, because it supports the first steps of the small child whilemaking possible the natural play of the toes, as a result of which thefoot can move in a natural manner. It is further believed that the aboveexemplary embodiment of the shoe according to the present inventionadvantageously supports the development of the foot in a natural wayand, especially as a shoe when learning to walk, promotes the firststeps of a small child.

According to a further aspect of the above exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, advantageously, the profiling is executed in the formof parallel or ray-shaped grooves, which extend at least partially overthe width of the shoe.

According to a further aspect of the above exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, the extension extends over the entire width of theshoe. It is believed that the extension over the entire width of theshoe is particularly advantageous, allowing in a variant of this aspectof the above exemplary embodiment of the present invention the profilingto be made of a plurality of materials of differing elasticities. As aresult, it is possible to increase the flexibility overall whilemaintaining the necessary minimum thickness for manufacturing the soleand for achieving a sufficient stability of the sole.

According to a further aspect of the above exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, advantageously, the contraction of the outsole isarranged on the interior side of the shoe, because the movement of thefoot in rolling from heel to toe is particularly pronounced in thisarea.

According to a further aspect of the above exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, the contraction is extended into the area of the backof the foot, so that if a shoe heel is present, it is even partiallychamfered. It is believed that a greater flexibility is achieved as aresult.

According to a further aspect of the above exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, the thickness of the outsole is advantageouslyreduced to the thickness required for manufacturing, which is believedto improve the flexibility. According to a further aspect of the aboveexemplary embodiment of the present invention, in addition to ananatomically shaped footbed, a heelplate or a flexible heel brace isprovided for a heel guide, which is advantageously configured so thatthe Achilles tendon is free, which is believed to give the footsufficient support despite the elastic sole.

According to a further aspect of the above exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, the outsole in the area in the back of the foot has aheel, which is believed to improve the position of the foot. Accordingto a variant of this aspect of the above exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, this heel extends under the heel bone of the child'sfoot in the direction of the forefoot and is narrowed in the area of theinterior of the foot as a result of the contraction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, a children's shoe according to exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention is depicted. The following are the contents:

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a children's shoe according tothe present invention in a view from below.

FIG. 2 shows the children's shoe from FIG. 1 in a side view emphasizinga reinforced heel area.

FIG. 3 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a children's shoeaccording to the present invention in a view from below.

FIG. 4 shows an enlargement of the sole of the children's shoe from FIG.3 in a side view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts the lower side of a outsole 1. Outsole 1 is subdividedinto an area in the forefoot 2 and an area in the back of the foot 3,which are connected to each other by a connecting area 4. Connectingarea 4 arises as a result of a contraction 5 on interior side 6 of foot7, whose contour is indicated by dotted line. Also running along thisdotted-line contour is the undepicted upper part, that extendsunderneath the foot, so that in the area of contraction 5 the upper partis without any covering from below by sole 1.

In area 3 in the back of the foot, a heel 8 is arranged, which ispartially cut out in the area of contraction 5. Heel 8 offers protectionagainst slipping in climbing or going up stairs. In area 2 in theforefoot, a profiling 9 is provided, which extends from presupposedposition 10 of the ball of the foot on interior side 6 of the foot tothe exterior side of the foot.

Due to contraction 5, connecting area 4 is configured in a reduced widthwith respect to the projection surface of the foot, and in the depictedexemplary embodiment it is narrowed only on interior side 6 of the foot.However, it is advantageous to provide an appropriate contraction alsoon the exterior side of the foot. In this way, a connecting piecebetween the area of the forefoot and the area of the back of the footarises.

In order to assure the foot sufficient support in the shoe despite thevery flexible outsole, a heelplate or stiffener 21 is provided, which isdepicted in FIG. 2 and which is arranged in an upper part 22, theheelplate extending downwards in the area of the Achilles tendon, sothat the Achilles tendon is free, the heelplate nevertheless beingpulled up in the area of the front of the heel bone and extending beyondheel 8 to the exterior edge of the foot. Alternatively, a heel bracearranged on the exterior can also be used to generate an improvedconnection of the shoe to the foot in the heel area.

The children's shoe depicted in FIG. 3, in the area of the toe joint,i.e., at the transition between the middle of the foot and the toes, hasa profiling 9, extending over the entire width, in the form ofcrosspieces 9.1-9.4 and grooves 10.1-10.5. Taken together withcontraction 5, a shoe of great flexibility is achieved in this manner,which little hinders the torsion of the foot and otherwise favors themotion of the foot in the area of the forefoot.

In FIG. 4, an enlargement of the sole of the children's shoe from FIG. 3is depicted in a side view of the exterior side of the shoe. Profiling 9can be seen in the form of crosspieces 9.1-9.4 and grooves 10.1-10.5,which can be filled at least partially by a second material. Thisembodiment has less bending resistance and therefore contributes to theplasticity while at the same time assuring a sufficient thickness of thesole for protecting the foot.

Crosspieces 9.1-9.4 widen in the direction of the exterior edge of theshoe, so that, over the width of the shoe, in response to the motion ofthe foot, the exterior edge of the shoe has less bending resistance inthe sole than the interior edge of the shoe.

Beginning from heel 8, the thickness of the sole decreases not only as aresult of the contraction, which is not visible in this representation,but also as a result of the reduction in the thickness of the sole inarea 11.

It is furthermore essential for comprehending the exemplary embodimentsof the present invention, that the upper part of the shoe in the area ofcontraction 5 on the lower side of the shoe remains free, i.e., notcovered by the sole. In the area of the exterior side of the foot, it ispossible to configure the contraction as an arch that is covered only bya thin layer of sole material.

1. A shoe for promoting a heel-to-toe motion of a foot, the shoecomprising: an outsole; an upper part; wherein the outsole has acontraction, the contraction extending to a first area where a back ofthe foot is located; wherein a heel guide for a heel of the foot isprovided in the upper part, the heel guide having one of a heelplate anda flexible heel brace; wherein the one of the heelplate and the flexibleheel brace are arranged in a second area where the heel of the foot islocated and having a smaller height above the outsole in an area of anAchilles tendon of the foot than in the area of a front heel bone of thefoot; wherein the one of the heelplate and the flexible heel brace areconfigured such that the Achilles tendon of the foot is free; wherein inan area of the front of the foot the outsole has a profiling configuredto provide for a great flexibility of the outsole with regard to theheel-to-toe motion of the foot.
 2. The shoe according to claim 1,wherein the contraction in the outsole is in a third area between wherea forefoot of the foot is located and where the back of the foot islocated.
 3. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the outsole has aconnecting area adjacent to the contraction.
 4. The shoe according toclaim 1, wherein the profiling has one of parallel grooves andray-shaped grooves, the one of the parallel grooves and the ray-shapedgrooves extending at least partially over a width of the shoe.
 5. Theshoe according to claim 4, wherein the one of the parallel grooves andthe ray-shaped grooves extend over the entire width of the shoe.
 6. Theshoe according to claim 1, wherein the profiling is made up of at leasttwo materials having different elasticities.
 7. The shoe according toclaim 1, wherein the contraction of the outsole is arranged on an innerside of the shoe.
 8. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein thecontraction of the outsole is arranged on an outer side of the shoe. 9.The shoe according to claim 7, wherein the outsole has a furthercontraction, the further contraction being arranged on an outer side ofthe shoe.
 10. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the outsole isprovided with a heel in the first area.
 11. The shoe according to claim4, wherein the profiling is made up of at least two materials havingdifferent elasticities.
 12. The shoe according to claim 5, wherein theprofiling is made up of at least two materials having differentelasticities.
 13. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the outsole hasa connecting area adjacent to the contraction configured to minimizetorsion of a forefoot with respect to the back of the foot.